A Probody T Cell-Engaging Bispecific Antibody Targeting EGFR and CD3 Inhibits Colon Cancer Growth with Limited Toxicity.

T cell-engaging bispecific antibodies (TCB) are highly potent therapeutics that can recruit and activate cytotoxic T cells to stimulate an antitumor immune response. However, the development of TCBs against solid tumors has been limited by significant on-target toxicity to normal tissues. Probody therapeutics have been developed as a novel class of recombinant, protease-activated antibody prodrugs that are "masked" to reduce antigen binding in healthy tissues but can become conditionally unmasked by proteases that are preferentially active in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Here, we describe the preclinical efficacy and safety of CI107, a Probody TCB targeting EGFR and CD3. In vitro, the protease-activated, unmasked CI107 effectively bound EGFR and CD3 expressed on the surface of cells and induced T-cell activation, cytokine release, and cytotoxicity toward tumor cells. In contrast, dually masked CI107 displayed a >500-fold reduction in antigen binding and >15,000-fold reduction in cytotoxic activity. In vivo, CI107 potently induced dose-dependent tumor regression of established colon cancer xenografts in mice engrafted with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Furthermore, the MTD of CI107 in cynomolgus monkeys was more than 60-fold higher than that of the unmasked TCB, and much lower levels of toxicity were observed in animals receiving CI107. Therefore, by localizing activity to the TME and thus limiting toxicity to normal tissues, this Probody TCB demonstrates the potential to expand clinical opportunities for TCBs as effective anticancer therapies for solid tumor indications. SIGNIFICANCE: A conditionally active EGFR-CD3 T cell-engaging Probody therapeutic expands the safety window of bispecific antibodies while maintaining efficacy in preclinical solid tumor settings.

Assessing kinetic and epitopic diversity across orthogonal monoclonal antibody generation platforms.

The ability of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to target specific antigens with high precision has led to an increasing demand to generate them for therapeutic use in many disease areas. Historically, the discovery of therapeutic mAbs has relied upon the immunization of mammals and various in vitro display technologies. While the routine immunization of rodents yields clones that are stable in serum and have been selected against vast arrays of endogenous, non-target self-antigens, it is often difficult to obtain species cross-reactive mAbs owing to the generally high sequence similarity shared across human antigens and their mammalian orthologs. In vitro display technologies bypass this limitation, but lack an in vivo screening mechanism, and thus may potentially generate mAbs with undesirable binding specificity and stability issues. Chicken immunization is emerging as an attractive mAb discovery method because it combines the benefits of both in vivo and in vitro display methods. Since chickens are phylogenetically separated from mammals, their proteins share less sequence homology with those of humans, so human proteins are often immunogenic and can readily elicit rodent cross-reactive clones, which are necessary for in vivo proof of mechanism studies. Here, we compare the binding characteristics of mAbs isolated from chicken immunization, mouse immunization, and phage display of human antibody libraries. Our results show that chicken-derived mAbs not only recapitulate the kinetic diversity of mAbs sourced from other methods, but appear to offer an expanded repertoire of epitopes. Further, chicken-derived mAbs can bind their native serum antigen with very high affinity, highlighting their therapeutic potential.

Generating bispecific human IgG1 and IgG2 antibodies from any antibody pair.

Bispecific antibodies and antibody fragments are a new class of therapeutics increasingly utilized in the clinic for T cell recruitment (catumaxomab anti-EpCAM/CD3 and blinatumomab anti-CD19/CD3), increase in the selectivity of targeting, or simultaneous modulation of multiple cellular pathways. While the clinical potential for certain bispecific antibody formats is clear, progress has been hindered because they are often difficult to manufacture, may suffer from suboptimal pharmacokinetic properties, and may be limited due to potential immunogenicity issues. Current state-of-the-art human IgG-like bispecific technologies require co-expression of two heavy chains with a single light chain, use crossover domains to segregate light chains, or utilize scFv (single-chain fragment variable)-Fc fusion. We have engineered both human IgG1 and IgG2 subtypes, with minimal point mutations, to form full-length bispecific human antibodies with high efficiency and in high purity. In our system, the two antibodies of interest can be expressed and purified separately, mixed together under appropriate redox conditions, resulting in a formation of a stable bispecific antibody with high yields. With this approach, it is not necessary to generate new antibodies that share a common light chain, therefore allowing the immediate use of an existing antibody regardless of whether it has been generated via standard hybridoma or display methods. We demonstrate the generality of the approach and show that these bispecific antibodies have properties similar to those of wild-type IgGs, and we further demonstrate the utility of the technology with an example of a CD3/CD20 bispecific antibody that effectively depletes B cells in vitro and in vivo.

Increasing serum half-life and extending cholesterol lowering in vivo by engineering antibody with pH-sensitive binding to PCSK9.

Target-mediated clearance and high antigen load can hamper the efficacy and dosage of many antibodies. We show for the first time that the mouse, cynomolgus, and human cross-reactive, antagonistic anti-proprotein convertase substilisin kexin type 9 (PCSK9) antibodies J10 and the affinity-matured and humanized J16 exhibit target-mediated clearance, resulting in dose-dependent pharmacokinetic profiles. These antibodies prevent the degradation of low density lipoprotein receptor, thus lowering serum levels of LDL-cholesterol and potently reducing serum cholesterol in mice, and selectively reduce LDL-cholesterol in cynomolgus monkeys. In order to increase the pharmacokinetic and efficacy of this promising therapeutic for hypercholesterolemia, we engineered pH-sensitive binding to mouse, cynomolgus, and human PCSK9 into J16, resulting in J17. This antibody shows prolonged half-life and increased duration of cholesterol lowering in two species in vivo by binding to endogenous PCSK9 in mice and cynomolgus monkeys, respectively. The proposed mechanism of this pH-sensitive antibody is that it binds with high affinity to PCSK9 in the plasma at pH 7.4, whereas the antibody-antigen complex dissociates at the endosomal pH of 5.5-6.0 in order to escape from target-mediated degradation. Additionally, this enables the antibody to bind to another PCSK9 and therefore increase the antigen-binding cycles. Furthermore, we show that this effect is dependent on the neonatal Fc receptor, which rescues the dissociated antibody in the endosome from degradation. Engineered pH-sensitive antibodies may enable less frequent or lower dosing of antibodies hampered by target-mediated clearance and high antigen load.

Nerve growth factor expression after plantar incision in the rat.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative pain control remains a significant problem. Advances will proceed if we can further reveal the underlying mechanisms of incisional pain and its mediators. Previous studies have demonstrated that nerve growth factor (NGF) is released in incised tissue and contributes to hyperalgesia in incisional pain. The purpose of this study is to examine the expression of NGF in skin after planter incision. METHODS: Adult Sprague-Dawley rats underwent incision at the plantar aspect of hind paw. The NGF messenger RNA (mRNA) was measured at various times after incision by polymerase chain reaction. NGF protein expression was detected by Western blot and immunohistochemistry in incisions. RESULTS: NGF mRNA increased from 2 to 4 h after incision and was the same as control by postoperative day 1. A large-molecular-weight form of NGF, approximately 75 kd, was found in normal skin. The large-molecular-weight NGF protein increased 4 h after incision and returned to baseline on postoperative day 7. The skin immediately adjacent to the incision had the greatest NGF expression. Immunohistochemical staining for NGF was present adjacent to the incision and localized in Schwann cells and axons. CONCLUSION: NGF mRNA is increased and a large-molecular-weight form of NGF protein is expressed in the region adjacent to the incision. NGF immunoreactivity is present in nerve bundles; both Schwann cells and axons are labeled. Immunoreactive NGF in axons is likely taken up into cut axons. This study suggests some common mechanisms for neuropathic and incisional pain.

A blocking antibody to nerve growth factor attenuates skeletal pain induced by prostate tumor cells growing in bone.

Prostate cancer is unique in that bone is often the only clinically detectable site of metastasis. Prostate tumors that have metastasized to bone frequently induce bone pain which can be difficult to fully control as it seems to be driven simultaneously by inflammatory, neuropathic, and tumorigenic mechanisms. As nerve growth factor (NGF) has been shown to modulate inflammatory and some neuropathic pain states in animal models, an NGF-sequestering antibody was administered in a prostate model of bone cancer where significant bone formation and bone destruction occur simultaneously in the mouse femur. Administration of a blocking antibody to NGF produced a significant reduction in both early and late stage bone cancer pain-related behaviors that was greater than or equivalent to that achieved with acute administration of 10 or 30 mg/kg of morphine sulfate. In contrast, this therapy did not influence tumor-induced bone remodeling, osteoblast proliferation, osteoclastogenesis, tumor growth, or markers of sensory or sympathetic innervation in the skin or bone. One rather unique aspect of the sensory innervation of bone, that may partially explain the analgesic efficacy of anti-NGF therapy in relieving prostate cancer-induced bone pain, is that nearly all nerve fibers that innervate the bone express trkA and p75, and these are the receptors through which NGF sensitizes and/or activates nociceptors. The present results suggest that anti-NGF therapy may be effective in reducing pain and enhancing the quality of life in patients with prostate tumor-induced bone cancer pain.

Anti-NGF therapy profoundly reduces bone cancer pain and the accompanying increase in markers of peripheral and central sensitization.

Bone cancer pain can be difficult to control, as it appears to be driven simultaneously by inflammatory, neuropathic and tumorigenic mechanisms. As nerve growth factor (NGF) has been shown to modulate inflammatory and neuropathic pain states, we focused on a novel NGF sequestering antibody and demonstrated that two administrations of this therapy in a mouse model of bone cancer pain produces a profound reduction in both ongoing and movement-evoked bone cancer pain-related behaviors that was greater than that achieved with acute administration of 10 or 30 mg/kg of morphine. This therapy also reduced several neurochemical changes associated with peripheral and central sensitization in the dorsal root ganglion and spinal cord, whereas the therapy did not influence disease progression or markers of sensory or sympathetic innervation in the skin or bone. Mechanistically, the great majority of sensory fibers that innervate the bone are CGRP/TrkA expressing fibers, and if the sensitization and activation of these fibers is blocked by anti-NGF therapy there would not be another population of nociceptors, such as the non-peptidergic IB4/RET-IR nerve fibers, to take their place in signaling nociceptive events.

Calcineurin-dependent regulation of Crz1p nuclear export requires Msn5p and a conserved calcineurin docking site.

Calcineurin, a conserved Ca(2+)/calmodulin-regulated protein phosphatase, plays a crucial role in Ca(2+) signaling in a wide variety of cell types. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, calcineurin positively regulates transcription in response to stress by dephosphorylating the transcription factor Crz1p/Tcn1p. Dephosphorylation promotes Crz1p nuclear localization in part by increasing the efficiency of its nuclear import. In this work, we show that calcineurin-dependent dephosphorylation of Crz1p also down-regulates its nuclear export. Using a genetic approach, we identify Msn5p as the exportin for Crz1p. In addition, we define the Crz1p nuclear export signal (NES) and show that it interacts with Msn5p in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. This indicates that calcineurin regulates Crz1p nuclear export by dephosphorylating and inactivating its NES. Finally, we define a motif in Crz1p, PIISIQ, similar to the PxIxIT docking site for calcineurin on the mammalian transcription factor NFAT, that mediates the in vivo interaction between calcineurin and Crz1p and is required for calcineurin-dependent regulation of Crz1p nuclear export and activity. Therefore, in yeast as in mammals, a docking site is required to target calcineurin to its substrate such that it can dephosphorylate it efficiently.